


Injured Pride

by Mochas N Mayhem (KoohiiCafe)



Series: Of Love and Demons Loved [5]
Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Devilgram Spoilers, Explicit Language, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Lack of Communication, Light BDSM, Multi, Non-Explicit, Polyamory, Prideful Idiots, Stubborn Idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:01:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27252376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoohiiCafe/pseuds/Mochas%20N%20Mayhem
Summary: Simeon sighed softly. He asked, “Do you know what you have most in common with Lucifer?”Devi wasn’t going to like the answer to that question was she?“Pride,” he said gently. “You are both extremely prideful. You are also both extremely stubborn. Do you know what happens when two such people refuse to talk to each other?”(Or, when one of them is injured, two stubborn, prideful idiots fail to communicate.)
Relationships: Asmodeus/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Leviathan/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Lucifer/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Everyone, Mammon/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Satan/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Series: Of Love and Demons Loved [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760449
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	1. How It Started

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** This story was inspired by and includes spoilers for Lucifer's **[Colorful Panic Devilgram](https://obey-me.fandom.com/wiki/Colorful_Panic/Devilgram)**. Particularly, it was inspired by **[this](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f518624bbbd0e7bea8ea34c9bb2518b2/5cffd36c92fea649-d0/s540x810/98b0b9c898c62a1cdbc04ecb9e35a70cd0de1e53.png)** dialogue. If you haven't read that, you can still enjoy the story; the bare essential you need to know is that MC has somehow been injured.
> 
> Also. This story was originally intended to be just some smutty fun with Devi and Lucifer. What actually wrote itself is... _angst_ instead. Sometimes characters just _refuse_ to do as they are told, fffffft.
> 
>  **Extra Note:** Please do not do what these two do. Communication in any relationship, and _especially_ in a relationship that includes BDSM, is _absolutely key_. If you ever have issues with a partner, let them know, and hopefully things like this can be avoided. Don't be like these dumb-dumbs. XD

* * *

**The Beginning**

* * *

“Really Lucifer, I’m fine, I promise.” Her voice was amused, mirth shining in her eyes. It was at least the tenth time she’d said it since they’d left Simeon at the first aid station; just like the nine times before it, Lucifer huffed wryly and shook his head.

“I think we both know that you would claim to be so whether you were or not,” he chuckled. Devi rolled her eyes even as she grinned.

“I’m wounded; would I lie to you like that?”

“Yes,” Lucifer answered without hesitation. They were almost to his room, but she paused right where they were, looking up at him incredulously, and she _laughed_.

“Now I’m _really_ wounded,” she said, giving him a mock pouting look. He nudged her forward and they began the trek to his bedroom again.

“You are,” her demon agreed, and they both laughed.

“How dare you call me out like that?” They paused in front of his bedroom door; Lucifer unlocked and pushed it open, and then his arm was around her again, supporting her as they moved toward his bed.

“I dare many things,” he smirked, and helped her down to sit on the edge of the bed. “Although perhaps not quite as much as _you_ tend to.”

“You wouldn’t have me any other way,” she teased right back, getting comfortable as he went to close and lock the door once more. Carefully she shifted so that she could pull her boot from her aching ankle. She would never admit to him, but she probably shouldn’t have finished the race running; her ankle throbbed far more now than it had after the surprise attack by Belphie and Satan.

“How does it feel,” Lucifer asked, returning to her side. He sat down beside her and gently pulled her leg onto his lap; more so than her ankle itself, the way he handled her leg was achingly gentle, as if it was one of the most delicate things he had ever held.

“It hurts,” she admitted, and shrugged. “But that’s to be expected. I can handle a bit of pain, trust me.”

“I’m well aware of that,” he said, and if his pride would have allowed it, he would likely have rolled his eyes at her. “That doesn’t mean that you should disregard that pain.”

“I’m not ‘disregarding’ it,” she protested, shaking her head at him. He was worrying far too much over such a simple, minor injury. “But it’s nothing I can’t deal with. I’ve had far worse injuries even before I came to the Devildom.”

Her demon sighed, and he was the one to shake his head at her this time. “I’m well aware of _that_ as well.” He frowned at her, and she suddenly regretted reminding him. Of all her demons, he was the only one who knew what her life topside was like, the kinds of things she had dealt with not only on a daily basis, but her entire life. It was her own fault for bringing it up, but it wasn’t something he needed to be worrying about now.

“Come here,” she told him, and he arched an eyebrow at him.

“You are almost in my lap,” he chuckled, amused again. Good; she wanted him distracted, wanted him thinking about something other than her past. “How much closer do you want me to be.”

“ _This_ much closer,” she said with a smirk. Then she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, tugging him down for a deep kiss. He allowed it, clearly indulging her, and that was perfectly fine with her. She tightened her hold when he tried to pull back again, deepening the kiss despite their somewhat awkward position, nipping at his lower lips teasingly. He laughed low against her lips and she swallowed the sound, using the opportunity to brush her tongue with his. One of his hands rose to her hair, carefully pulling at the tie that had held it back for the race as their kiss became a battle for dominance; once it was tumbling down around her shoulders, his fingers buried into it, taking a firm grasp of it so that he could lead the kiss.

Devi _groaned_ into the kiss, and she could feel the way he smirked against her lips. Cheater. Breathless, she allowed him to pull her back, the battle won long before he’d taken hold of her hair. His eyes were lust darkened when they met hers, his smirk growing.

“That’s cheating,” she not-quite-grumbled, and he chuckled again.

“Is it truly cheating when you so clearly enjoyed it?” he challenged, and pulled at her hair again, swooping down for another, shorter kiss.

“One of these days,” she threatened playfully once they parted again, “I’m going to leave _you_ the one breathless and wanting.”

“You are welcome to try, my dear; I believe you’ll find that such a thing is far more easily said than done.” He smirked again, and carefully disentangled his hand from her hair, smoothing it back down in a gentle motion. “For tonight, however, it is best you don’t start something that you cannot finish.”

“Who says I can’t finish it,” she asked, arching her eyebrow at him this time.

“Your injured leg,” he answered. Devi rolled her eyes.

“Hurting my leg hasn’t magically rendered me an invalid. There are _plenty_ of things we can still do.” She paused, and leveled a smirk at him, deliberately poking at his pride. “Or was your threat of ‘punishing’ me just a baseless jest?”

Oh, the look her words brought to his face. Her smirk widened as his eyes narrowed at her, his hand coming up to grasp her chin. He held it firmly as he spoke.

“You never left my side, thus earning no punishment.” Lucifer’s gaze was nothing but challenging as he met her eyes. “But if you wish to be _punished_ , you need only ask.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” She grinned then, challenging him in return. He laughed, ass that he was at times.

“Perhaps I should give you what you so clearly desire,” he promised, his voice thickening. “After all, it is as you said; there are plenty of things I can still do to you without stressing your injury.”

“Promises, promises,” Devi teased.

“Promises indeed.”

* * *

**Morning After Blues**

* * *

She knew the moment she woke up that mistakes had been made the previous night; her ankle was _aching_ where it had been twisted in Satan and Belphie’s little surprise attack, and when she carefully pushed the covers back to get a look…

“ _Shit_.”

It was swollen far more than it had been when they went to bed, and when she carefully unwrapped the bandage from it, the skin around her ankle was already mottling with bruises. Devi cursed inwardly, hissing as she tried moving her foot and only succeeded in sending a streak of pain racing through her nerves. Shit, shit, shit. She had _really_ been hoping that the extra sensitivity from after they’d gotten home would have faded by this morning, sure that the pain and swelling was nothing more than a simple twisting of the joint and not an actual sprain. Unfortunately, it was now clear that she’d been wrong. At least Lucifer had already disappeared for the morning, was likely already off to his study to work, and wasn’t there to see it now..

( _For once, his pride and workaholic tendencies were working in her favor._ )

She considered, briefly, messaging Satan to ask him for a healing potion so she could sweep the entire thing under the rug. Then she remembered the _last_ time he’d made one for her, and how the thing had all but knocked her out for a full day as she healed. That idea went out the window quickly.

Pursing her lips, Devi did the only thing that any sane, injured human living in the realm of demons would do: she grabbed her D.D.D. and sent out an SOS.

> _**Devi:** I need your help with a problem ASAP._

She paused, considered, and then added,

> _**Devi:** Don’t ask any question, just come to Lucifer’s bedroom as quickly as you can. You’ll understand when you get here._

Then she watched the screen for a moment, and was grateful when almost immediately the checkmark popped up that the message had been read. She watched the little ‘typing’ bubble dance for a moment before disappearing. Good. She set down the device and leaned back against her pillow, covering her leg up once more. If she knew him at all, she shouldn’t have to wait long until he arrived; risk of incurring his elder brother’s wrath or not, there was no way he would be able to ignore that kind of mystery summons.

It was only a few minutes before a knock sounded at the door, his low voice following,

“Devi, it’s me.”

“Get in here,” she called back, keeping her voice as low as she could, “and lock the door behind you.”

The door opened a minute later, a blond head peering through and looking around quickly; the rest of Satan’s body followed a moment later, and he swiftly shut and locked the door behind him. He took only a moment to run his eyes over her before arching an eyebrow and making his way to Lucifer’s bedside in only a few long strides.

“I hope there’s a reason you’ve called me to _Lucifer’s_ bedroom after spending the night with him?”

He didn’t need to add how _very_ risky it was for him to be in his eldest brother’s bedroom; they both remembered the look on Lucifer’s face and the tone of his voice yesterday, when he’d promised something ‘special’ for Satan and Belphie in return for their ‘surprise.’

“Let’s just say,” she countered and, glancing around the room more out of reflex more than any actual fear of Lucifer suddenly appearing, she pushed the silken covers back to reveal her left leg, “that it’s in _both_ of our best interests if Lucifer’s doesn’t see _this_.”

Satan _hissed_. Immediately he was crouching down at the bedside, carefully pushing the black sheets further back to get a better look; she didn’t begrudge him the look, but when his hand shifted as if to touch, she quickly grabbed it, shaking her head.

“Don’t.” The demon frowned, his brows furrowing as he looked up at her, and she could see exactly where his thoughts were going. She shook her head again to cut him off, telling him, “it’s fine; it’s just rather tender at the moment.”

“That doesn’t _look_ fine,” he disputed immediately, but when she released his hand slowly, he didn’t try to reach for her ankle again. “That looks serious, Devi. With as swollen and bruised as it is already, there’s a high chance that something could be broken.”

“Nothing’s broken,” she reassured him, and _that_ much she was one hundred percent sure of. The pain of broken bones she knew- which _he_ knew as well, considering he’d helped her out with that before- and this wasn’t near that bad. “It’s just a sprain. As nasty as this looks, though, Lucifer will flip if he sees it.”

They shared a grimace. _That_ they both knew too. She watched as Satan’s eyes turned down to her leg once more, looking it over. He opened his mouth to speak, and she cut him off once more.

“Help me back to my room. Stay with me all day if you want. You can keep an eye on me, I’ll keep it elevated, keep it iced and wrapped, and by tomorrow it’ll be fine. Trust me.”

He sighed. She gave him her best pleading look. He frowned, but after another look at her ankle and then another look at her expression, he nodded.

“Alright,” he told her, his frown deepening. “But only because I have a feeling that if I don’t keep an eye on you, you’ll do something stupid.”

“ _Me_ ,” she teased, giving him a mock look of offense. “ _I would never_.”

Satan rolled his eyes and stood to his feet, telling her, “let’s get you out of here before my _dear brother_ decides to come check in on you.”

Then, with a little bit of finagling, and a lot of leaning on her demon, she was out of bed with Satan’s arm around her, giving her all the support she needed as they headed out the door of the bedroom and through the house halls as quickly as she could move. When they managed to make it to her room without running into any of his brothers, Devi recited a short prayer of thanks to whatever deity or supernatural being might be listening, and let Satan settle her into her own bed for a day of R&R.


	2. Day One

* * *

**Strategic Maneuvering**

* * *

She’d spent the rest of Sunday in her room with Satan, putting off Lucifer with talk of resting, and the rest of his brothers with talk of studying. He’d shown her a minor cooling spell that she could use on her ankle (far easier than trying to sneak ice from the kitchen every three to four hours), and he’d kept a careful eye on her, making sure that she wasn’t up and down any more than she absolutely needed to be, and that she kept her foot elevated all day. She’d only barely managed to convince him that she would be fine overnight and that he could go back to his room once she’d gotten tired, promising him that if her ankle didn’t feel better when she woke up, she’d come to him.

She didn’t go to him.

Thankful for having woken early, Devi rewrapped her ankle, used the cooling spell he’d shown her, and downed a couple oni-buprofen- then slipped out of the house as quietly as she could once she was dressed. She even managed to get out without running into any of her demons- a fact for which she was _very_ grateful, since it meant she didn’t have to hide the way she was favoring her left leg once she’d gotten out of the house. At least, not until she either got to RAD, or otherwise came within view of any demons; if she wasn’t willing to let _her_ demons see how she was struggling, she _certainly_ wasn’t going to let other demons see. She took the walk slowly, ignoring her D.D.D. when it began to buzz ( _looked like at least one of the brothers had noticed her missing, judging by how fast and how much it was buzzing_ ), and made her way to her first class; it wouldn’t start for awhile, but the empty room made a good resting-slash-hiding place to wait until classes _did_ start.

Not that she was _hiding_ , per se. She preferred to think of it as _strategic maneuvering_. It was easy to set up shop here, spread her books out so that she could claim she was just studying before class, and she wouldn’t have to move or put weight on her ankle again until after class was over. ( _She’d probably even **actually** study a bit; the best alibis had kernels of truth to them_.)

She dug her D.D.D. out once her books were laid out, flipping over to her chat messages; sure enough there were a string of messages from Mammon ( _he’d been the one to realize she was gone already_ ), a _flurry_ of messages in the house chat ( _Mammon freaking out about where she was, and the rest of the house responding_ ), and then several messages from Satan ( _he was fairly unhappy that she hadn’t checked in with him before leaving for RAD_ ). She sent off her alibis to all three chats ( _well, ali **bi** ; consistency was always the best bet_), set the device to silent, and then started studying. She’d have to deal with her demons later ( _Satan in particular was going to be tricky_ ), but she’d cross _those_ bridges once she came to them.

* * *

**The Lie**

* * *

As luck would have it, while she had expected that she’d have to deal with Satan before his other brothers, it was Lucifer who found her first. ( _Although perhaps ‘luck’ wasn’t the right word._ ) The avatar of pride was outside of the room when her first class let out, arms folded over his chest as he waited for her to emerge. She gave him her most winsome smile as she stepped over to him, being very mindful not to favor her leg as she moved; his eyes narrowed at her in return.

“Good morning, Lucifer. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of your company?”

“I didn’t see you at breakfast.” His voice was even, his gaze steady, the unspoken order clear. Explain herself. Devi gave him an unabashed look.

“As I said in the chat; I woke early and felt like it would be wise to get a little studying in,” she told him, shrugging a little.

“You were _studying_ all day yesterday,” he challenged in return, arching an eyebrow at her, “with _Satan_. Did he somehow fail in providing sufficient assistance?”

There was an unspoken _threat_ in those words. Had Satan not been with her yesterday, Lucifer would have dragged him off to punish him for his part in her injury…

“Not at all; his help was excellent, as always. I had a feeling that I might need a little more, however.” She paused and, for the first time in remembrance, found herself thankful that a teacher had sprung a ‘surprise’ on her class. “As it happened, we had a pop quiz, so it was a good thing I got a little extra studying in.”

Crimson eyes met gold for a long moment. Neither human nor demon seemed ready to back down. Eventually, without breaking their locked gaze, Lucifer said,

“Then I expect that you’ll score perfectly on your quiz.”

“I’m sure I will,” she answered, and she smirked at him. She could _see_ him resist the urge to roll his eyes at her defiance; she could also see him fight against the amusement her defiance brought him.

“How is your ankle,” he asked, letting the banter drop, and his gaze was a little more serious then. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost think that he was _worried_. Something like guilt threaded through her heart; she squashed it ruthlessly, and aimed for her most reassuring tone.

“A little tender,” she lied, knowing better than to try and pass it off as perfect. “Otherwise, it feels alright. I’m sure it’ll be back to normal in a few days.”

“I see.” He paused, watching her carefully. Looking for any tells, she thought, any indications that she wasn’t being truthful. Devi was, however, in some ways, _very_ much her mother’s daughter; hiding truths, hiding her _weaknesses_ , was something she was quite skilled at. Eventually, he seemed satisfied with whatever he found in her gaze, and he told her, “I‘ve advised your instructors to allow additional time for you to travel between classes, should you need it. Do _not_ push yourself.”

No, that wasn’t something _like_ guilt. She pushed it down further, refusing to let it take hold.

“I’ll be alright,” she said, just barely resisting the urge to reach out and physically reassure him. Here at RAD, in public and full view of anyone happening to pass by, it would _not_ be welcome. His eyes narrowed again, and she hurried to add, “I won’t push myself. I promise.”

He gave her another long, _long_ look. She pushed her rising guilt down further. He wasn’t _worried_ , he was just… Mollycoddling her. Underestimating her because she was human. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last time. If she showed him weaknesses now…

“I’ll walk you to your next class,” he finally told her, and she nodded, giving him her best smile as she teased,

“I’ll be the envy of the entire school, with _you_ as an escort.” Then, laughing, she took the arm he offered and they began to walk, Devi minding her step and suppressing her pain the entire way.

* * *

**Angel in Disguise**

* * *

She pushed herself.

Extra allowance for travel time or not, she _refused_ to show her demonic classmates any weakness. She had worked too hard to prove that even without the protection of the Avatars of Sin, she was strong enough to take care of herself; to show weakness now would undo too much of that, would make far too many demons see her as vulnerable, a viable target once more. So she pushed. She did her best to make it between classes as quickly as she could, without being late, without letting herself visibly favor her injured leg. She mostly succeeded too, only arriving late to her last class before lunch. She _did_ have to deal with both Beel and Levi _(it was one of his rare days of physically attending_ ), who each shared one of her morning classes, but thankfully neither of them questioned her.

Then it was time for lunch, and _hell_ was she glad for that. For the first time since she’d gotten to RAD that morning, she could finally let herself relax, could take her time in going where she wanted without needing to rush; her lunch period was one of the later ones, most of the rush of students already done, and her period after that was free time. She was _tired_ too. Pushing herself hadn’t come without a cost; she needed to eat, and she needed to rest.

Hoping to avoid running into any of her demons, Devi made her way slowly to one of the cafeterias on the opposite side of the school from the one they usually frequented. The line for food was empty by the time she got there, making it simple to grab what she wanted quickly; she found an empty table just as easily, settling down, pulling out and laying out a few books to make herself look busy. Then, renewing her cooling spell and downing another few oni-buprofen, she started in on her food. It didn’t take long for her D.D.D. to start buzzing, and she was quick to field the questions this time, not wanting a repeat of the frantic search that had apparently gone on that morning. She was fine, she just got caught up talking with a classmate, she’d see them all either in their shared classes, or after school. There was another flurry of messages, either pouting, teasing, or ( _in Satan’s case_ ) vaguely threatening, and then she knew she was home free. For now.

At least, she _thought_ she was. What she hadn’t expected was, somewhere around half an hour later, to look up when a shadow crossed over her table and find Simeon smiling down at her. His head tilted, and his bright blue eyes ran over her carefully.

“Let me guess,” she said teasingly before he could speak, hoping to head him off at the pass. She kept her voice light and amused, her smile easy as she asked, “Lucifer sent you?”

The angel chuckled, his tone just as airy, and shook his head a little as he smiled down at her. “Who says Lucifer had to send me? Can it not be simply that I wanted to check in on you after the weekend?”

“I think we both know how protective he can be,” she answered with a laugh, and continued with a knowing look, “and that you’re one of the _very_ few he would entrust with such a task.”

“Don’t let _him_ hear you say such a thing,” Simeon warned her, and they exchanged grins.

“Only if I feel like hanging upside down from the chandelier beside Mammon.” Simeon laughed at her words, and she watched as he settled down to sit across the table from her.

“How is your leg feeling,” came the inevitable question once he was seated, and while he seemed to be focused on getting out and setting his lunch before him, she knew better than to think that he wasn’t paying her close attention.

“It’s still a little tender,” she admitted, repeating the same lie she’d given Lucifer that morning. Consistency was the key to lying; always give the same story, don’t leave anyone with any room to question it, or to find any fault or lie in it. “I’m sure it’ll be back to normal in a few days.”

“So you’re not having any trouble with it?” He paused, and she could _feel_ the way his eyes ran over her again, even without looking up at him. Simeon was far too perceptive for his own good sometimes- or for _her own_ good, at least in this instance. “I heard you were late to your last class.”

How did he even- she cut the thought off before it could finish. It was Simeon, he had his ways. ( _That, or Lucifer had told him, because she didn’t doubt that Lucifer knew as well, he **always** knew._)

“Trust me, it’s not because I wanted to be,” she answered, grimacing slightly. “I promised Lucifer that I wouldn’t push myself, and so I didn’t.”

Simeon hummed noncommittally. A tiny thread of guilt snuck into her heart. She ignored it. Then, thankfully, he seemed to drop the subject, instead holding out and offering up a container of cookies. “Would you like some? They’re fairly fresh, baked this morning.”

“Not by Solomon, I hope,” she teased, even as she took one; Simeon would never poison her like that. The angel laughed, taking one himself and setting the container aside.

“By Luke, of course,” he told her, and then took a bite as if to prove his trustworthiness. Devi grinned and took a bite of her own- and hells, it was heavenly. The things Luke could do with food…

“Would anyone notice if I took Luke with me after the exchange program? I’m not sure I want to part with his cooking.”

“I think Michael _might_ notice,” Simeon said, laughing again. Then, exchanging grins once more, they fell into easy, light conversation as they began to eat. Simeon was always good company, even if he _was_ spying for Lucifer. He would have to leave for class before she would, and so as long as she was careful until then, she would be golden.

* * *

**Ambushed**

* * *

The rest of lunch passed uneventfully. Belphie found her during her free period ( _he shared her next class, and tended to walk with her there usually_ ) but he’d simply snuggled up to her side and fallen asleep at the table. He was still half asleep on the way _to_ class, and although the way he leaned on her as they walked was painful, he didn’t seem to be awake enough to notice- a fact for which she was grateful. 

Devi could feel someone else’s eyes on her on the entire way though, and then again after that on her way to her last class. There was no one, anytime she looked around, but- there had to be _someone_ she just couldn’t see, she was sure of it. Maybe Lucifer’s Little Ds, the ones she knew for a fact sometimes spied for him. Maybe someone else, someone who was just that good at keeping out of sight. Either way, she was careful to walk normally, careful not to show any pain. It made her late to her last class, but there wasn’t much she could do about it, not unless she wanted to give herself away.

Mammon was waiting for her after class- and she thought she caught a glimpse of Satan through the crowds of demons pouring out of the last class of the day. She grabbed her first demon quickly and all but dragged him away, trying to lose Satan in the crowd; she didn’t want to deal with the avatar of wrath’s suspicions until she absolutely _had_ to. And not even then, if she could at all avoid him.

Losing Mammon once they got home was a little more tricky- impossible, really, as eager as he was to spend time with her after not seeing her all day. Hiding a grimace, she gave in and let him follow her up to her room; she would just have to be careful until she could distract him later.

The last thing Devi expected to find when she opened her bedroom door, however, was Lucifer and Simeon. The former was half-sitting oh-so-casually on the edge of her bed, most of his weight on one foot so that he could move quickly if needed; the latter, the traitor, was seated at the slim dining table that was catty cornered to the bed, in the chair at the end and quietly watching the door. She froze in place before she’d even finished opening the door; the door, _also_ a traitor, continued swinging open without any further effort on her part, hitting the wall with a dull _thud_. She considered, for the briefest millisecond, turning around and leaving. Lucifer’s voice halted the thought in its track.

“Devi.” It was less a greeting and more of a warning. His eyes narrowed, pinning her in place; his next words were an unquestionable order. “Come in. Shut the door behind you.” A pause, then he directed his gaze at his brother. His next words were _also_ an unquestionable order. “Mammon; _leave_.”

Shit.

Her demon gave her a worried look, but with one look at Lucifer, he raised his hands and backed out of the room. She straightened instantly, putting more weight on her aching ankle than she knew she should, despite knowing that it was far too late; she’d been found out, and now she was screwed. She threw on her brightest smile anyway, as she shut the door behind her and then turned back to the disappointed looking angel and the dis _pleased_ looking fallen angel.

“What a pleasant surprise; I can’t say that I expected to find two such gorgeous men waiting for me in my bedroom.”

“Come here,” Lucifer said shortly. Fuck. Clearly he wasn’t in the mood for any banter. Too bad that she wasn’t very good at turning off her ‘backtalk’ button. Covering any hesitation or concern she might feel with a smirk, she obeyed, being careful not to favor her left leg regardless of how it hurt.

“So commanding, even with Simeon right there? I didn’t know-”

“ _Sit_.” The demon’s voice was sharp as he stood, and he immediately pushed her down ( _carefully, she noted, despite the anger in his eyes_ ) to sit on the bed. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye- Simeon standing- and then her demon was speaking again, just as commanding, cutting, and firm as before. “Be still, be silent, and _behave_.”

Lucifer went to his knees in front of her then, one hand reaching for her boot, and she was shocked into silence. As Simeon took the few steps needed to reach her bed, the demon carefully- _tenderly_ \- took her left leg into his hands and began to work her boot off of her foot. It was harder than it should have been; her ankle had swollen after a day of being up and about on it, and it took more effort than she wanted to admit to keep from hissing in pain with every movement. When she looked up and away, _needing_ a distraction from how gentle he was being while so clearly upset, she found Simeon watching silently from behind him; there was a look on the angel’s face that she couldn’t quite decipher, his eyes glued to the way the demon handled her foot as if it was the most fragile thing in all the Devildom. Once the boot was finally free, the wrap unwound free of her ankle, Lucifer set them aside before straightening and standing, stepping back to allow Simeon to take his place.

“You will answer Simeon’s questions as if they were my own. If you attempt to lie, I _will_ know, and your punishment will become even more severe than it will already be. Do you understand, _pet_?”

Devi swallowed any objections she might have had. There was something in the depths of his voice, something deeper than just the invocation of their relationship and his status as her master, something _darker_. This wasn’t Diavolo’s right hand acting as the one responsible for an exchange student. This wasn’t the head of her household taking his unruly and disobedient charge in hand. This wasn’t even her lover upset with her for a ( _justified, as far as she was concerned_ ) lie. This was… she wasn’t sure _what_ it was, but she knew better than to push.

She nodded. Simeon knelt down before her, and she noted with surprise that he’d left his gloves at the table. He took her ankle into his bare hands with the same tenderness that Lucifer had shown, and his voice was even and calm as he began to examine it carefully and ask questions. Did it hurt if he pressed here, or there? If he shifted it this way or that? How much had it swollen yesterday; had she kept it elevated while she rested, or while she slept? Had she applied ice to it at any point? More and more questions, the gentlest of proddings and pokings, his touch warm against her skin. Eventually he was satisfied, releasing her foot carefully; he guided it up onto the bed, helping her shift so that he could prop her leg up on a pillow, and then stood.

“It’s not a severe sprain,” he said, his words directed entirely at Lucifer rather than her, and her brows furrowed, annoyance prickling along her senses, “but it’s certainly worse than it was Saturday.” His gaze flicked over to Devi, his eyes finding hers as he said, “The stress of walking all day at RAD compounded and worsened the sprain.” He turned back to Lucifer, continuing, “Unassisted, it will likely take two to four weeks to heal fully.”

There was a long pause, and the look Simeon traded with his former brethren was significant.

“If you would like, I could-”

“No,” Lucifer cut him off, glaring at her as he spoke. “Devi will live with the repercussions of her actions and choices.”

The angel looked like he wanted to protest- but after glancing quickly towards her, he nodded and told the demon, “I understand. If she needs further care, or if you change your mind-”

“Thank you for your assistance Simeon.”

It was a clear dismissal. Simeon retrieved his gloves from the table, took one last look at Devi and, offering her the wannest smile she’d ever seen from him, turned and left.

She waited until the door had closed behind him, a moment of silence stretching out between them as Lucifer glared at her and she glared right back. She opened her mouth, and started,

“Lucifer-”

“I have no interest in whatever excuse you are about to offer,” he said harshly, and his eyes narrowed. Her own narrowed in return, something like anger sparking in her chest. He spoke again before she could find words. “You _lied_ to me.”

Her lips parted. Their conversation that morning flew through her head. Her mouth closed, her lips flattening into a thin, unhappy line. Dammit, she-

“You are confined to your room for this evening. I will advise my brothers that you are not to be disturbed, and your dinner will be brought to you once it is ready.” The demon paused, and his eyes finally left hers as he began to reach for something in his coat.

“Lucifer, I-”

“You will address me properly, _pet_ ,” he growled, and then he was stepping to the bedside, her collar in his gloved hands. His tone brooked no disobedience as he ordered, “Present.”

Something in her heart froze. He always- _always_ \- made a point of removing his gloves before placing his collar on her neck. The sight of the shining gold of the collar against the deep black of his gloves sent something uneasily stirring within her. A glance at his face, however, had her quickly reaching to lift her hair up, her head dipping forward and down to present her bared neck to him. The cool feeling of leather against her skin sent a deep shudder down her spine, and when it was gone a moment later, replaced with the cold metal of her collar, she wasn’t sure if she was grateful or not. Lucifer stepped back again as she straightened, letting the thick waves of her hair tumble down and around her shoulders, almost hiding the collar in the deep purple locks.

“Master,” she tried this time, and he spoke over her.

“We will speak again in the morning concerning your full punishment for this infraction. Until then, I suggest you rest and consider the consequences of your actions.”

Then, without giving her a chance to get another word in, Lucifer turned and strode to her bedroom door, opening it and disappearing through it. Devi found herself staring at the door as it closed behind him, as she heard a heavy _click_ of a lock closing.

_Fuck_.


	3. Isolation

* * *

**Solitary Confinement**

* * *

Devi did, indeed, spend the rest of the evening alone, without even her chats to keep her company; Lucifer had apparently forbidden his brothers from even _messaging_ her for the night. She thought about messaging Simeon, but she was more than a little sore with him at the moment. Luke was off limits too; she didn’t need to drag the young angel into this whole mess. He’d only worry about her anyway, and she didn’t exactly need _that_ either. And Solomon…

Solomon was a little shit. As usual.

> _**Solomon:** I heard you got yourself into some hot water with Lucifer._

> _**Solomon:** /snickering demonji_

> _**Devi:** Hot water is ONE way to put it._

> _**Devi:** /annoyed demonji_

> _**Devi:** Simeon sold me out._

> _**Solomon:** As I understand, it was for your own good._

> _**Devi:** /NO!! demonji_

> _**Devi:** I would’ve been FINE in a few days._

> _**Solomon:** That’s not what Simeon said._

> _**Devi:** Who’s side are you on anyway?_

> _**Solomon:** My own of course._

> _**Devi:** You’re an ass, you know that?_

> _**Solomon:** It’s been said before._

> _**Devi:** I hate you sometimes._

> _**Solomon:** /winking demonji_

She considered, _very_ briefly, messaging Quinn or Vette topside. Then, the memory of the last time she’d gotten hurt back in the human world flashed through her head, and she tossed _that_ idea out the window too. She didn’t put it past Quinn, magicless human or no, to somehow find his way down to the Devildom to lecture her about taking care of herself when she was injured. Vette would probably follow, smirking behind him the whole time before telling Devi off _herself_.

Why were all the people she loved overprotective worrywarts?

( _Surely it wasn’t because she was reckless and too prideful to ask for or accept help if she could avoid it. Surely._ )

When dinnertime rolled around, she heard the door unlock. A group of chittering Little Ds, all wearing little black and blue hats and Lucifer’s horns, poured in carrying her dinner; they set up a fold-out table by her bed and quickly set her meal out for her. A few jumped up onto the bed beside her, one of them moving down to her propped up ankle to seemingly check it over; the others crowded around her lap, and with an amused smile, she pet and cuddled them for a moment. Not a second later, the one at her ankle growled something and they scattered back down to the floor. It gave her what she imagined was supposed to be a firm look, and then followed the others down, all but chasing them out of the room. The door locked again behind them with an air of finality.

Great. Even the _Little Ds_ were banned from visiting with her.

Grumbling to herself, she settled in to eat her dinner. Afterwards she renewed her cooling spell again ( _at least she was getting in some good magical practice?_ ), took another oni-buprofen, and decided that if she wasn’t allowed any company, she might as well get some sleep. She was tired, had _been_ tired for most of the day at this point; sleeping at least felt like a better option to pass the evening than just sitting there and stewing in her frustration ( _and maybe, **possibly** guilt, but it wasn’t like she’d done anything **wrong**_ ) with the entire situation.

* * *

**Grounded**

* * *

Devi woke up to the click of a lock; a moment later, as she pushed herself quickly up, the door opened to admit Lucifer. He stood there for a moment, a shadow framed by the light pouring in from the hall. With a flick of his wrist, the fairy lights hanging from the ceiling flickered on, and he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The look he gave her was…

She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen that look on his face. It wasn’t anger. It was nothing like the look he wore when his brothers ( _and okay, sometimes her too_ ) had done something wrong. Nothing like the look he wore when lecturing, or yelling, or handing out punishments. It wasn’t anger- but she didn’t know _what_ it was if not anger.

Somehow it felt a thousand times worse than anger.

“You will be staying home for four days, and taking your classes online,” he said without preamble, and _fuck_ his voice was ice cold. She hadn’t heard him speak to her like that in… Not since before everything with Belphie. He continued without pause, and his tone chilled her down to her bones. “You will remain confined to this room. Leviathan will watch over you during school hours; the Little Ds will provide anything you need from outside of this room.”

_Four days_? He was kidding, right?

Not that Lucifer was the kind to kid _ever_. Shit.

“Tell me I can at least have company after class,” she said, and she knew her own voice was tense, sharp. She didn’t really care. Having Levi’s company during RAD hours was better, but she was _not_ going to spend four more nights in solitary. She was _not_ going to let him cut her off from everyone else for _four days_.

“I will consider granting your request if you behave well today,” he told her, crimson eyes narrowed. Her own eyes flashed angrily.

“That wasn’t a _request_ , Lucifer. You’re not-”

“You will address me properly, pet. Unless you intend to use your safeword?” He cut her off sharply. His eyebrow raised at her. The look he gave her was nothing short of challenging.

Devi _growled_. The gold around her neck, previously warmed by her own body heat, felt suddenly cold.

He wanted to play like that? _Fine_.

“Like hell I am, _Master_ ,” she ground out, and continued, “I draw a hard limit at being cut off from my loved ones, however. I _will_ be allowed company.”

She met his gaze head on; gold eyes _dared_ him to refuse. Some emotion, one she couldn’t read on him, flashed through his expression, and then she blinked and it was gone. It had looked almost like- regret? Upset? Remorse?

The Avatar of Pride would _never_. She must have imagined it.

“Your limits will always be respected,” the demon answered, and dammit, his words weren’t supposed to be almost _soft_. But perhaps she had imagined _that_ too, because his voice was frigid once more when he spoke again. “My brothers will be allowed to see you during your confinement. They will _not_ be allowed to stay the night. I will re-evaluate that decision once four days have passed.”

_Good_ , he was-

Wait. _What_ did he just say?

“What do you mean, ‘ _you’ll re-evaluate once four days have passed_?’ Four days is more th-”

“Your full punishment will last until your ankle has healed.”

His tone brooked no argument. She wanted to argue anyway. Until her ankle _was healed_? Hadn’t Simeon said-

Lucifer cocked his head at her, smirking. His next words cut off the thought before it could complete. “You told me that your ankle would be ‘back to normal’ in- ‘a few days,’ I believe is what you said? Surely you can bear to wear my collar and endure your punishment for that long?”

… How did one go about murdering a smug arch-demon? Maybe Satan would know…

Right, shit, _Satan_. There was going to be hell to pay when he caught up with her. And she was essentially a sitting duck for the next four days...

A knock on the door interrupted them before either could speak again. Lucifer barked out, “enter,” and the door slid open; Levi stood almost hesitantly behind it, bright amber eyes flicking back and forth between them both.

“Am I inter-” he started. Devi flashed him a smile, speaking quickly,

“Come on in, Levi. Lucifer was just telling me that you’d be keeping me company today?”

The first-born narrowed his eyes at her, but he didn’t refute her. After glancing up to see if Lucifer would protest, Levi stepped into the room slowly. When Lucifer still didn’t move or speak again, the third-born sort of edged around his older brother, carrying a large bag carefully- his electronics, she assumed, there was no way he was spending all day out of his room without _some_ of his gear.

“Devi is not to leave this room,” Lucifer finally said as Levi set the bag down by the table near the bed, his eyes never leaving her, “nor are you to leave her unattended; she cannot be trusted to take care of herself.”

The last half of his words hit her like a shot to the heart, something painfully tightening in her chest.

“As I have told her, the Little Ds will be at your disposal,” he continued, ignoring the way Levi’s gaze flicked back and forth between them again. “Should she give you any trouble, notify me and I will deal with her.”

Lucifer waited long enough for Levi to nod, and then without even a backwards glance to her, he turned and left, closing the door behind him. Devi stared after him. Stared at the closed door. Why did her chest _hurt_?

She took a moment to breathe in slowly, steeling herself, pushing the hurt down, and putting on her best facade. When she looked up at Levi, it was with a warm smile that she didn’t really feel, without a single trace of anything negative or unhappy in her expression. Whatever was going on between her and Lucifer, however angry the first-born was with her, Levi didn’t need to be dragged into it.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me for the day,” she said, aiming for a teasing tone. “What a horrible fate for you, huh?”

“Y- yeah,” the otaku flustered, his cheeks flushing a bit as he hurriedly went on, “stuck with a _normie_ all day. Although- I guess it’s better than having to go in again.”

Right, he’d actually been at RAD yesterday. Had he been scheduled for another day there today? It wasn’t often he had to go in two days in a row. ( _Why did she have a sneaking suspicion that had been Lucifer’s doing, just another way of keeping an eye on her yesterday?_ ) She smiled again, this one a little more real than the last, and told him,

“Well I’m happy to have saved you from such a fate then.” Shifting so she could sit fully up, and clearing some room she patted the now empty spot beside her on the bed. “Why don’t you get your stuff set up and come sit with me. I could use a little company.”

He gave her a small smile of his own, and hers turned warmer, more real again. “Sounds good,” he said, and as he flushed a little more, he turned to quickly start emptying his bag.

A day alone with Levi was fine with her, really. She always enjoyed his company, and with it being just the two of them, she could probably convince him into some cuddles too. Lucifer, for all she cared at the moment, could go hang himself from the chandelier.

* * *

**Tempered Wrath**

* * *

“You had better be glad,” were Satan’s first words as he pushed into her room after classes were done, “that Lucifer’s too angry with _you_ right now to care that I helped you.”

His face was stormy, blue-green eyes dark with anger of his own, narrowed as he glared at her. He closed the door behind him without looking away from her. As he started toward her bed, she barely resisted the urge to pull back; it wasn’t as bad as she’d ever seen, but his anger was coming off him in waves, his power stirring up the air around him.

“You told me you would come to me,” he growled, and hell, it wasn’t just anger in his expression, was it? There was an echo of that same look she’d seen on Lucifer’s face that morning- the one she still thought she had to have imagined, because he would _never_ look that way. It was much clearer in Satan’s eyes though. He wasn’t just mad that she’d gone against her own word, he was-

“I told you the truth when I said I thought it would be fine,” she said, interrupting her own thought. She even meant it. She still didn’t know if she entirely trusted what Simeon had said, nevermind that the angel had no reason to lie. She wasn’t exactly sure how much he actually interacted with humans on a regular basis though. Maybe he was just- overestimating?

( _Who was she kidding? While being hurt wasn’t new to her, she was more used to dealing with the scrapes, cuts, and other broken things that one earned in a street fight. She hadn’t **sprained** anything in years. Simeon was likely right, she just didn’t want to admit it_.)

The look Satan directed at her was, she thought, _the_ most doubting look she’d ever seen from him. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she swallowed and looked up to meet his gaze head on. As much as she wished she didn’t… she _did_ owe him an apology.

“Look, I’m- _sorry_ ,” she forced out, the words tasting sour on her tongue. “I should’ve talked to you before I left.” There was a pause- and _hells_ did she want to just leave it there, but. Fuck, this was painful to admit. “I let my pride get the best of me.”

Her demon sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, sending the blond locks every which way. He looked away from her a moment, his gaze traveling down her exposed leg to her ankle. When he looked back up at her, his eyes were the slightest bit softer.

“You need to stop spending so much time with Lucifer,” he told her, and they both grimaced.

“With the way he treated me this morning,” she said, “I don’t think that’s going to be much of a problem.”

Satan frowned. Devi sighed, shifting to make room for him, and he sat down beside her. His hand carefully came down to rest on her leg, well above her injured and wrapped ankle. His eyes drew up to rest on the collar around her neck as he asked, “What exactly did he do this morning?”

“Other than flat out tell Levi that he didn’t trust me?” Hell, that still hurt. That tight, aching feeling in her chest tightened further, and she resolutely ignored it. “He wanted to leave me in solitary for the next four days, other than Levi watching me while you guys are at RAD. If he thought he could’ve left me completely alone, he probably would have, but I’m not _trustworthy_.”

( _No, she wasn’t at all bitter about that. Not at all._ )

And once Levi had gotten to her room, Lucifer had all but ignored her. He’d acted like she wasn’t even there, wasn’t even worthy of talking to, had left without even _looking_ at her. She kept _that_ to herself. The avatar of wrath didn’t need any more reasons to be angry at his oldest brother than he already had.

“And this?” There was a concerned look in his eyes as Satan reached his free hand to her collar, lifting the golden peacock feather from where it rested on her skin. She snorted, and _that_ wasn’t at all bitter either. Honest.

“Unless I safeword, it stays on until my ankle is healed.”

Like _fuck_ she was safewording out of this. She refused to give Lucifer the satisfaction of having bested her. She’d play his game, and win it too.

Satan’s frown deepened. He let the charm fall back down to her collarbone, the gold shining brightly against her dark skin. He caught her chin with his hand, pulling it up so she would meet his eyes.

She hadn’t even realized she’d looked away.

“You’re alright with that?” The unspoken offer was clear. If she wasn’t, he would do something about it. She shook her head at him.

“I’m not going to let him win,” she answered, her voice firm, her eyes resolute. “If Lucifer thinks he can bring me to heel with this, he’s got another think coming.”

Satan looked like he was torn between frowning even more- and laughing. She gave him a smirk, hoping to push him over the edge into laughter, and said, “C’mon fellow Formerly Anti-Lucifer Leaguer. You with me?”

After a moment, releasing her chin to run his hand through his hair again, he shook his head and laughed quietly.

“I’m with you,” he said, and she grinned. Good. She reached for his hand, giving it a tug.

“Now come cuddle with me. Levi cuddled a little today, but after being alone all last night, I want more.”

“How can I say ‘no’ to that?” Matching her smile- and being oh so careful of her leg- Satan leaned up to steal her lips for a kiss. When he tried to pull away, she pulled him back for another, shorter kiss, and then he was shifting with her so that he could wrap his arms around her.

For all she cared right now, Lucifer could _still_ go hang himself.

* * *

**Lunch Time, Best Time**

* * *

The next three days after that were. Frustrating. 

There was her time with Levi, of course, which she _did_ enjoy. He came by each morning, and they ‘went to class’ together. AKA, they spent all day next to each other, but on their own computers, headphones on and listening to their own classes- other than the single one they shared. The Little Ds brought them lunch- _his_ Little Ds this time, with their little black and orange hats and horns to match his own- and several of them ended up sticking around each time.

That was her favorite part of the day, especially once she’d managed to convince Levi into playing a little ‘game’ with his Little Ds.

“You’re sure this isn’t dumb?” He was giving her a doubtful look, and she shook her head, smiling at him and gesturing to the little black shadow demons bobbing enthusiastically around them on the bed.

“Not in the least. Look at how excited they are.” He followed her gaze downward, and one of the Little Ds hissed at him in its own language. Its tongue stuck out, a little forked thing much like Levi’s could become if he shifted far enough, and then it drew back in and the demon hissed again. The third-born hissed something back in the same language, and then he looked back up at her, his eyes big and a smile on his lips.

“Okay, let’s do it!”

With a grin, Devi scooped the Little D in question into her hands, placed it atop Levi’s tail… and gave it a little _push_. It hiss-slash-squealed and went gliding down along the drape of its master’s tail, the scaled length acting as a slide for it to go from the top of the bed all the way to the floor. It picked up speed as it went, and when it got to the floor, it went tumbling horns over shadows across the carpet until it rolled to a stop, its little hat hanging crookedly from one coral-shaped horn. It hissed excitedly, bobbing back upright again quickly, straightening its hat- and then it _cheered_.

Levi’s grin was huge, his eyes wide and just as excited as the squealing and hissing that erupted around them. The Little Ds began vying to go next, floating and bobbing all around him, and _hells_ , did he realize how adorable he looked in that moment?

Lunch was _definitely_ the best part of her days of confinement. And, okay, while sitting in one place and watching classes on a computer was, in a word, boring… Maybe she was a _little_ grateful that she wasn’t running around the enormity of RAD’s campus, putting far too much pressure on her ankle and trying not to let anyone see how much it hurt.

After class wasn’t _horrible_ ; as Levi disappeared back to his room to recoup from a day of being out, his other brothers came to visit her instead. She got Mammon the second day, who was _very_ put out that she hadn’t told him what was going on, and was also _very_ overprotective; she loved her first demon dearly, but the entire time he was there, he wouldn’t let her off the bed for _anything_ , and he wouldn’t come _on_ the bed to join her either, too afraid of jarring her leg or otherwise hurting her. Beel came the third day, bringing not only armloads of snacks for them both, but also trailing Little Ds of Gluttony behind him carrying _more_ food; at his worried bidding, she ate _far_ more than she would have normally, Beel _insisting_ that she needed to eat more to heal faster. Belphie joined him, although the avatar of sloth pretty much just… curled up with her on the bed and fell asleep immediately, _staying_ that way until Beel had to drag him off for dinner. Asmo joined her the last day, bringing with him everything they needed for a spa night to treat them both; he even surprised her, daring to skip dinner and stay with her while they finished the evening together.

“I can _feel_ how lonely you’ve been,” he’d told her as he applied a mask to her face. “If Lucifer has a problem with me staying, I’ll deal with him later.”

The nights were the worst. Asmo’s daring aside, the others hadn’t been allowed to stay with her past dinner; Lucifer all but demanded that his brothers be present for at the table, and that she stay in her room to dine alone. He hadn’t allowed them to return to her afterwards either, strictly enforcing his rule that they weren’t to spend the night with her. It was the longest she’d been alone in her bed since… since before she’d formed her pact with Levi, when Mammon and Beel first began spending the nights with her.

No, actually. The worst of it all wasn’t the lonely nights. The worst was the fact that Lucifer was all but _ignoring_ her.

He hadn’t come to her room _once_ since he left her with Levi that first morning. All his commands were sent via chat; he didn’t even call, didn’t pick up the one time she tried to call him. _(And she only tried **once**. She had too much pride to try again after that; if he didn’t want to speak to her, she was **not** going to beg for his attention._) According to his brothers, he’d been stiff and silent at both breakfast and dinner, speaking almost solely to snap at one of them if they stepped out of line, and excusing himself immediately once he’d eaten.

Devi didn’t get it, didn’t understand. _She_ was the one being punished; _she_ was the one confined to a single room for most of a week, being denied any company at night when she was so used to sharing her bed with her demons. If one of them had a right to be stand-offish and upset- it should have been her. Instead it was Lucifer who was acting like a child, refusing to talk to both her _and_ his brothers, avoiding all of them any time he could. Hell, he was acting so out of character, she knew for a fact that he still hadn’t taken either Satan or Belphie to task for the prank that had started this whole thing, despite his promise of something ‘ _special_ ’ for them. Not that she _wanted_ him to torture or otherwise hang either of them from the chandelier, but the fact that he _hadn’t_ was…

No. She was _not_ worried about it, _or_ him, and she wasn’t _going_ to worry either. Let Lucifer act like a child. She only had one more night to go, and then she was free. As long as he didn’t catch her before she left her room the next morning, then he couldn’t very well extend her sentence, could he? That was the only thing that mattered.


	4. Breaking Free

* * *

**Breaking Breakfast**

* * *

Devi woke up to her alarm going off at an _ungodly_ hour. She smirked when she checked the time, and she moved faster than she had the entire past week as she worked to get up, get dressed, get ready, and then get _out the door_. The halls were still dark when she quietly closed her bedroom door behind her, which boded well; no one else was up yet.

_Good_.

It wasn’t her morning for breakfast, but she didn’t let that stop her. Slipping into the kitchen, and being _actually_ careful of her leg as she moved, she began to get the resources together that she’d need to make breakfast for everyone, working as quickly and quietly as she could. She had a little something _special_ in mind for her first meal with her demons in a week, and she was determined to make it happen.

She was over halfway done when the first demon wandered into the kitchen, yawning widely. Belphie stopped in the doorway, and she could _feel_ him staring as she moved between simmering pots and pans; it was his turn for breakfast, they both knew, and yet here she was taking care of it all on her own. Devi glanced over her shoulder at him, smirking, and waved a hand at him.

“Get over here and help me; this isn’t an easy job when I can’t move as well as I usually can.” She paused as an alarm started to ring halfway across the kitchen, and she told him, “Over there, grab that will you? That’s Beel’s, and I don’t want it to get burnt.”

“It’s not like he’ll-” he paused, mid word, to yawn, even as he shuffled over to where she’d directed him. “-like he’ll even notice,” he continued, and she glanced back briefly to make sure he was taking care of it. Thankfully he was. “Beel’ll eat anything anyway.”

“ _I_ don’t want it to get burnt, alright? This is a special breakfast, and I want it to be just right,” she retorted, and she felt him look at her again. She didn’t turn to acknowledge it, just kept working. He didn’t complain again, though, taking over the dishes near him to help.

Satan was the next to get to the kitchen, and he headed straight for the coffee pot; he’d already poured himself a cup, fixed it to his liking, and had taken his first sip before he looked up and registered her presence. Amused, she listened to his footsteps as he padded over to her, and then the hard planes of his chest were pressing against her back, one arm wrapping around her as he commented,

“You do know it’s not your turn to cook, right?” He followed the words with a loud sip of coffee right beside her ear, and she laughed as he looked over her shoulder to see what she was making.

“I’m aware,” she answered, and smirked to herself. “But this is the first time I’ve been out of my room for almost a _week_. I thought it was cause for celebration.”

“I see,” he hummed, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. She could feel the way he was looking over the dishes laid out. He was looking in one particular direction, she noted, and she felt him straighten-

“Would you mind taking care of that one for me,” she asked, waving to the pot in question. “It needs to be stirred for at least five more minutes before it’s ready to come off the stove.”

He didn’t answer immediately. She could all but hear the way he was rolling her request around in his mind, weighing it against what he likely knew about how the dish was meant to be cooked.

“You realize that-” he started, and she turned to flash him her smirk, cutting him off.

“I know. I _want_ it to be stirred for at least another five minutes.”

Blue-green eyes met gold; there was a spark of mischief in her own, she knew, and she watched as an answering twinkle shone in his. Satan nodded, set his coffee mug aside, and headed over to the pot.

“I’ll take care of it,” he assured her, and she grinned.

“What are you two plotting,” Belphie asked, his voice more alert than she would have expected from him so early in the morning. When she glanced over, violet-pink eyes were shifting back and forth between her, Satan, and the pot Satan was currently stirring. Devi winked at him.

“Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it,” she answered. He squinted at her and, a moment later, shrugged and went back to working on the food in front of him.

“Whatever you say. I can’t see anything over there anyway.”

By the time the other brothers, sans Lucifer, trickled into the kitchen, everything was done and ready to be carted off to the dining room. She sent Beel ahead with the plateware, sent Asmo to watch over him ( _he’d just done his nails, he couldn’t **possibly** carry anything right now_), and enlisted Levi and Mammon to help carry all the food out. Little Ds of all kinds, Pride included, skittered about to help with anything that was missed, and to get everything set up perfectly; with their help, it took barely any time at all before breakfast was ready.

Devi and her six demons were already seated and settled when the dining room doors opened to admit the first-born, all of them waiting for him before breakfast could begin. ( _She’d been very specific about that, they **needed** to wait for Lucifer. She’d been specific enough that even **Beel** was heeding her request, even if he was drooling more than usual as they waited._) It was a generous spread, a favorite breakfast dish for each brother set out before all their usual place settings, all of which had been cooked _exactly_ to Devi’s instructions.

Lucifer paused before his seat at the head of the table. She watched as he carefully looked over the spread, examining each dish laid out. She had no doubt that he knew how much work had gone into the food before them, had no doubt that he knew what the significance of each dish was. Including the dish at his own seat. It was one which she knew was an absolute favorite of his to have for breakfast. Everything _looked_ perfect.

His eyes narrowed as they moved to her. Devi gave him the most saccharine smile she’d ever worn. His eyes narrowed further. Slowly, keeping his gaze pinned on her, he pulled out his seat and lowered himself elegantly into it.

“I see you have joined us without waiting for permission,” he said, his voice low and sharp. She shrugged.

“You said I was confined to my room for four days. You said nothing about the fifth day, and you’ve given me no further commands for today.” Then, without waiting for him to reply, she picked up her silverware and speared the first piece of food on her plate with her fork.

It was the signal for everyone else to begin; Beel was the first, to absolutely no one’s surprise, and her other demons followed. She could feel Lucifer’s eyes as he looked over the table, carefully watching each of his brothers’ reactions to their food. There were more than a few sounds of delightment around the table; a full on groan of satisfaction escaped Asmo’s lips, one that sounded _very_ out of place at the dining table. She hummed happily as she bit into her own, savoring the taste of not only one of her favorite foods, but one she’d worked quite hard on, along with everyone else’s dishes.

She watched _carefully_ out of the corner of her eye as she saw movement from the head of the table finally. Lucifer had picked up his silverware, and was carefully cutting up his food. She watched as he separated it out diligently, seemingly carefully examining everything as he did so. She watched as he finally slid his fork into a tender piece of meat, raising it to his lips gracefully.

She and Satan _both_ watched as Lucifer closed his lips around the morsel, sliding the fork back- and then he froze.

It was far, _far_ too late. It took every single ounce of self-control Devi had not to laugh. Not to smile at _all_ , or at all react. She quickly took a bite of her own breakfast, using it as a cover as she watched the way the avatar of pride’s face was beginning to tinge an odd shade of green. She could see Satan barely hiding his own laughter in his coffee mug across the table. None of the others had- no, no, she caught movement from beside Satan, _someone_ else had noticed. There was a coughing sound as Belphie hastily took a drink from his cup, his eyes dancing wickedly as they met hers for the briefest moment.

There was the scrape of metal against ceramic. She _felt_ more than saw Lucifer’s eyes on her. Devi opened her mouth to comment-

“Is something wrong, _dear brother_?”

Her eyes flew over to Satan, both eyebrows going up. What the hell was he doing? He grinned, but directed all his attention to Lucifer, whose crimson eyes had very quickly gone from Devi to the fourth-born.

“Is your food not quite to your liking?” the blond taunted, sheer mischief clear in his eyes. “A pity; mine is quite fantastic.”

Lucifer still had not spoken. His lips were closed tightly, his jaw working, his face tinged more and more green. He exhaled carefully through his nose, the entire table’s attention on him by this point. The look in his eyes was pure acid. Without a word, he pushed his chair back from the table, stood, and walked slowly out of the room.

The moment the doors closed behind him, Devi, Satan, and Belphie all burst into laughter, no longer able to hold it back. She could feel the way Mammon, Levi, Asmo, and Beel were staring at them with varying degrees of horror, confusion, and amusement, but she couldn’t quite gather enough air to speak. Belphie was the first to recover, his words still interspersed with snickers as he asked,

“ _That’s_ what you guys were doing?” He paused, needing to pull in more air, and then continued with a grin, “that was _perfect_.”

“It was, wasn’t it,” Satan drawled once he’d recovered himself, and she couldn’t quite remember when the last time she’d seen him grin _quite_ that wide. “That was _quite_ the masterpiece, my dear.”

“Thank you,” she grinned back, still laughing a bit. “I do try.”

“What the hell did you guys _do_?!” There was a hint of panic in Mammon’s words, his eyes flying back and forth between the three of them before they settled on Devi. “Did ya poison him or somethin’?”

“It’s nothing he won’t recover from shortly,” she answered, not a hint of remorse in her voice. “A little bit of the wrong spice here and there, stirred when it's not meant to be, cooked for just a _touch_ too long.” She paused, and then her grin widened even more. “I got the recipe from Solomon, actually, he highly recommended it.”

There was a moment of silence around the table. It was _shattered_ as Satan and Belphie went right back to laughing, Levi and Asmo both joining in. Mammon was looking at her like she was insane, something still like panic in his eyes, and Beel… Beel was looking back and forth between the food in front of him, and then towards the door Lucifer had gone out, the expression on his face _utterly torn_.

Devi took pity on him, reaching over to lay a hand on his arm. “He’ll be fine, really Beel. I changed up the recipe enough that I’m sure he’ll be storming back in here soon enough, ready to take off my-” She paused, her eyes darting back to Satan.

“To take off _my_ head,” Satan finished for her, and she shook her head even as she laughed.

“Why did you do that? He _knows_ it was me, he has to.”

“You’ve dealt with enough from him this week,” he answered, and his eyes went meaningfully to the collar that was still around her neck, “with more to come. I’m part of the reason you’re in this mess to begin with.” His gaze flicked down, something like abashment in his expression. “We’ll just say that this evens things out a little.”

And that. _That_ seemed to sober all of them. The laughter fizzled out, and she found all of them looking at her with… Not pity, but concern, certainly, and some worry. She felt the urge to reach up and touch the collar; she suppressed it, shaking her head. In some ways, it reminded her of the night she’d first received it, the way several of her demons had been so worried about her going to Lucifer’s office for punishment by herself. Their concern now was the same as it had been then. But while she’d been somewhat worried for herself then, too… this was different.

Asmo had been at her side then, _knowing_ and reassuring her that she would be fine, and even if she hadn’t believed him at the time, he’d been right. This time, _none_ of them were sure that it would be fine. Not with the way Lucifer had been acting all week.

“You need to talk to him,” Beel finally said, and his free hand came to cover hers where it lay on his arm. Her lips pursed, pressing to a thin line. She shook her head again.

“He doesn’t want to talk to me; he’s made that clear.” She looked down at her plate. Her food no longer looked appetizing. Devi squeezed Beel’s arm lightly, then carefully pulled her hand free. Standing, she started, “if Lucifer wants to find me, I’ll be-”

“With _me_ ,” Asmo cut in, and his chair was already pushed out, the fifth-born standing as well. “I couldn’t pamper you as much as I wanted to last night, not without access to my bath, so you’re coming with me.”

He didn’t allow anyone the chance to argue. Like the whirlwind he could be when he wished it, Asmo had her hand in the crook of his arm and was leading her out of the dining room before his brothers could fully process his theft of their human.

* * *

**Tenderly**

* * *

By the time her brain caught up with what had happened, Asmo was guiding her through his bedroom and into the luxurious marble tiled cavern that made up his bathroom. By the time she would have thought to resist- not that she intended to- he was already reaching for the hem of her crop top to pull it up and over her head, telling her simply,

“Arms up my dear, it’s time for the clothes to come off.”

The look she gave him could only be called amused, but she complied anyway, raising her arms so he could pull her top up and off, being careful to keep her thick locks from getting caught in anything. He didn’t ask before tapping her shoulders and gently turning her, and a scant second later, her bra was unhooked and sliding down her arms. A moment after _that_ \- and she wasn’t sure _how_ he’d already gotten his own top off too- the warmth of his bare chest was pressing against her back, his arms wrapping around her waist. Unsurprisingly, as he laid a kiss on the back of her shoulder, his fingers were already hooking into the waistband of her leggings. His kisses trailed down her bare back as he shifted downwards and dragged both leggings and panties down her thighs and farther; he paused at her calves, telling her,

“Lean on me, darling." He guided her thighs against his chest, her ass to lean on his shoulder, and she let her weight shift to him; she well knew that even with his slight frame, he could handle her weight and much, much more. He lifted her injured leg gently, handling it as if it were made of the most delicate glass, carefully moving the material down over her calf, then her ankle and foot, never letting it touch the skin. The bruises around her ankle and toes were heavily faded by now, would likely fade completely within the next few days; once her clothes were free of her leg, Asmo leaned forward and kissed lightly above her ankle regardless.

“I’m not going to break, Asmo,” she told him as she shifted on his shoulder, allowing him to free her leggings and panties from her other leg. Her demon made a sound that was somewhere between a huff and a sigh.

“You already _have_ ,” he answered, his tone softer than normal. He carefully moved her off of his shoulder to support her own weight; a moment later her clothes were dropped into a hamper, his own following. Then his arms were suddenly around her again, the demon scooping up to hold her bridal style; a sound of surprise left her lips, her arms flying up to loop around his neck, and he was grinning again. “That was an _adorable_ noise; I’ll have to draw it from you more often.”

“‘Adorable’ isn’t a word people usually use to describe me,” she said, laughing as he walked them over to the magically, eternally warmed bath. His eyes twinkled and he went to his knees to deposit her into the water; he tapped her nose teasingly and replied,

“You’re adorable far more than you think.”

Devi didn’t answer; instead a low groan escaped her as the perfectly heated water enveloped her. _Hells_ that felt good, especially around her sore ankle. She didn’t have to look at Asmo to know that he was smirking at the sound, even as he busied himself pinning up her hair to keep it from getting wet.

“Mmmmm, that’s another sound I want to hear from you more often.” His tone was playful and teasing, and she laughed softly. She breathed in the scented steam rising around from as he slipped into the water with her, shifting them both so that she ended up between his legs and leaning back against him. She didn’t recognize all the aromas, even after as many baths as they had shared over the year, but it was clear he had been planning this before he’d come down for breakfast.

“You hear that sound plenty,” she chuckled, and leaned her head back against his shoulder, just letting herself _enjoy_ the moment. _Fuck_ , it had been too long since they’d done this, even before her week of confinement.

“I _always_ want to hear it more.” Then, as if to prove his words, his hands moved to her shoulders, his talented fingers beginning to work at the tense muscles there. He dropped his head to kiss her neck above her collar, and she moaned again softly at his attentions, her eyes sliding closed. She could feel him hardening between them, but he seemed to pay himself no attention, focusing on her instead; she deliberately didn’t stifle her groans of pleasure in return, allowing him to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

“ _How_ ,” she asked, eyes still closed as he worked, “are you so good at that?”

Not that she didn’t already know the answer. He laughed, his hands moving on from her shoulders, and told her anyway, “Thousands of years of practice.” Then he kissed her neck again, hushed her with a hum, and went back to his massage.

The rest of their bath passed like that. For the first time in… _quite_ awhile, if ever, Asmo focused not on either of their sexual pleasure, but on slowly bringing her undone. Usually there was at least _some_ teasing between them once their clothes came off. Not this time, though.

She felt like putty in his hands long before he’d finished massaging her; he took his time after to wash them both, laying soft, tender kisses on her skin as he did so. When they were done, he scooped her up and carried her out before drying them both down with one of the fluffiest, softest towels she’d ever felt before; he unpinned her hair a moment later, to let it fall freely once more. He scooped her up _again_ after that, and without bothering with clothes for either of them, carried her back into the bedroom.

“What did I ever do to deserve you,” she teased languidly as he deposited her onto his oh-so-comfortable bed. He hummed, helped her pull the duvet and sheets back enough for her to shift beneath them, and then crawled in after her.

“You were you,” Asmo said simply, wrapping his arms around her and cuddling into her back. He kissed her shoulder, and added, “you loved me. Now hush. Let’s get some rest before that monster of a brother of mine comes to steal you away.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She laced her fingers with his and pulled his hand up to kiss the back of it tenderly instead. Then, finally in the arms of one of her lovers again, she slipped soundlessly into sleep.

* * *

**Wake Up Call**

* * *

Devi woke slowly, which was odd in and of itself; clearly she had been more tired than she thought. There were two hissed, hushed voices a little bit aways from the bed, and she blinked to clear her eyes, pushing up to look. Lucifer was in the bedroom doorway, arms crossed over his chest and an angry frown on his face; Asmo was in front of him, wrapped in one of his silken robes and whispering stormily at his brother.

“You can wait until she wakes up on her own,” the fifth-born almost growled, and her eyebrows shot up; that was _not_ a voice she usually heard from him outside of bedroom talk, and this growl was sharper, harder. Lucifer’s eyes slid past his younger brother, over to the bed; he turned his glare back to Asmo, drawling,

“It seems she is already awake.” He pushed past Asmo without waiting for a reply, coming to stand at the foot of the bed, eyes narrowing. His voice was harsh as he asked, “did I give you permission to bed any of your lovers?”

“It’s Saturday,” she answered, and she gathered herself as best she could. She suppressed the anger that had grown within her over the week as he had ignored her. She sat up, letting the blanket fall to expose her bare chest without hesitation, and snarked, “My confinement ended this morning, and you gave no further orders. If you didn’t want me to ‘ _bed_ ’ my lovers, then you should have told me, _Master_.”

_No_. She was _not_ hurt by his abandonment of her. She _refused_ to be. She forced her expression to remain still, forced herself to show no emotion as she pinned her eyes on him, waiting for his response. He stared back at her, his face a blank mask, giving away nothing.

Asmo moved as they glared at each other, taking the opportunity to bring a robe over to her, offering it up silently. Without breaking their locked gazes, Devi pulled the robe on, pushed the covers back, and stood to her feet, keeping her weight on her uninjured leg. Lucifer’s gaze finally pulled away, moving down the exposed lines of her body as she closed and tied the robe off, settling on her left ankle. His expression was still perfectly unreadable, even the anger gone from his countenance. Asmo moved behind her, one hand settling on her shoulder. When Lucifer’s eyes returned to hers, he spoke.

“As you were told, your collar and punishment shall remain in place until your ankle has healed.” His voice was flat; if it weren’t for the words themselves, it sounded like he could have been reading off a grocery list. “You are forbidden from any sexual activities while your punishment is in effect; you are barred from the gym and any other kind of strenuous physical activity. You will attend your classes; your instructors have been made aware of your situation, and will expect your tardiness. One of my brothers will remain with you at all times until you return home, and they are excused from class accordingly; you cannot be trusted not to push yourself. Simeon will come by after classes to check on you as he sees fit; you will cooperate with him fully, and you will not lie to him. Your punishment will not be lifted until he deems your ankle healed.”

He paused to let his words sink in, to let her process the list he had rattled off so quickly. Her jaw worked as she forced herself not to otherwise react, as that painful tightness in her chest returned. When she didn’t speak, he asked sharply;

“Do you understand?”

“I understand,” she forced out, and the words were somehow flat, her voice empty.

“I will make you aware if I have any further orders for you,” Lucifer said. Then he turned, and just like that first morning, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him without so much as a glance back at her.

She did _not_ relax. She did _not_ let herself sink in on herself. She stood stiffly, unmoving. Asmo’s arms wrapped around her, her demon pressing himself to her back. All his hard work had been undone, her entire body just as tense as it had been before their bath. Perhaps more so. He pulled her as close as he could.

“We’re going back to bed, darling.”

She let him turn her around so he could undo the tie on her robe and slip it from her shoulders. His own followed, the silken fabric of both pooling on the floor together. He pulled her in for a slow, gentle, soft kiss, as chaste as he’d ever given. Then he pulled her into bed with him, pulled the covers over them both, and held her until sleep took her again.


	5. Week of Hell

* * *

**Purgatory**

* * *

The week that followed was hell, even more so than the week that had preceded it.

She was glad to no longer be confined to one room, glad to have the company of… _most_ of her demons without limitations. She was glad to be able to get out of the house completely, even if it was only for classes, glad to be able to move around again- something which she had to admit was far easier now than it would have been the week previously. She was glad to actually be able to participate in her classes- and _wow_ , that was a thing she never thought she’d be glad for- rather than just listen to her instructors through a pair of headphones. She was glad to be able to see Luke and Solomon again, even if the former was far too fussy and worried about her, and Solomon was just as much a shit in person as he was in text. Hell, she was even glad to see Simeon, a week having soothed some of the frustration she felt at the fact that he’d essentially sold her out to Lucifer.

But being released from the confines of her room, yet still sharing a house with Lucifer, only made it that more obvious that the avatar of pride wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. If she entered a room he was in, he left immediately. If she came into the library and his office door was open, it shut all on its own, Lucifer not even bothering to get up and physically close it. Multiple evenings he spent out of the house, even going so far as to eat dinner at the castle with Diavolo rather than come home. Breakfast was _tense_ , and he ate as quickly as he could without losing face, and then left.

Every time- _every time_ \- he walked away from her without even a word, the collar around her neck felt heavier and heavier. Every time it felt heavier, it felt like it became tighter and tighter against her throat, stealing away both her breath and her words.

The rest of her demons refused to leave her alone for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with their eldest brother’s rules. They took turns shadowing her all day at RAD, touching and reassuring her that they were there with her as often as they could get away with it; even Levi came in with her for a day, and the way she felt his tail curl around her ankle, out of sight of most of the other students, meant far more than she was ready to admit.

She spent her evenings being dragged from room to room, as they tried to keep her distracted. They had a full on movie day out in the common room on Sunday, _all_ of her demons save Lucifer joining her; Mammon hadn’t even protested when they picked a horror movie, although he _did_ spend most of it holding to her for dear life. Monday was a game night in Levi’s room, Mammon and Beel at either side of her as they played DevilCart; Levi actually let her _win_ a round, something that had never happened before. Tuesday night was spent in Satan’s room, cuddled up on his bed- _after_ they’d managed to clear it of books- as they each read their own book; at one point, she ended up reading her horrible, horrible romance novel out loud to him. _Neither_ of them could keep from laughing at the terrible purple prose, and the absolutely _ridiculous_ words the author kept using rather than simply calling a cock a cock.

Wednesday night, Lucifer be damned, she went with Beel to the gym; he’d wanted someone to video his form for him, all she was going to be doing was recording him, and _hell_ if she was going to give up the opportunity to watch him working out in nothing but a pair of trunks and a muscle tee. Thursday night Mammon arranged for them to play _his_ kinda games, setting everything up in the common room; Devi rather delighted in showing her demons what the daughter of a major casino owner, who owned a casino herself, could do in a card game. And Friday night? Friday night Belphie dragged her to the room he shared with Beel… and then promptly fell asleep on her. She huffed, amused, and lay with him until Beel came back, then dragged _him_ into bed with them to sleep.

* * *

**The Talk**

* * *

Saturday, _finally_ , was the day. She woke to a message from the elder of the angels;

> _**Simeon:** I’ll be visitnig today to chek on you. Let me know when youre up, and I’ll head on ovr._

Devi had never sent a message faster than she messaged him back.

> _**Devi:** I’m up. You can come over immediately if you like._

> _**Devi:** Really, come on over._

Not a minute later, she was carefully extracting herself from between the twins; Beel got a light kiss on his forehead when he stirred, and she shushed him back to sleep; Belphie didn’t stir at all, still dead to the world. Amused, she shook her head and then quickly headed out for her room.

By the time the doorbell rang, Devi had gotten dressed and was waiting down at the door for Simeon’s arrival. She opened it immediately, grinning at him; he made a surprised noise at the speed at which the door opened, and then laughed as he got a good look at her.

“Someone’s a little eager, I see,” he teased as he stepped inside.

“You have _no idea_ ,” she groaned as she closed the door behind him, and then gestured towards the golden collar around her throat. “I am _more_ than ready to get this damn thing off.” 

Simeon made a muffled sound of amusement, used to her swearing after this long. He fell into step behind her as she led the way to her room, and she could _feel_ his gaze running over her as they walked.

“You seem to be moving much better,” the angel observed, and she shrugged lightly.

“Considering the tyrant known as Lucifer essentially forced me into bedrest for an entire _week_ , I would certainly hope so.”

Her voice was not at all bitter. Really. Honest.

( _Fuck, she hoped it wasn’t_.)

She opened the door to her bedroom as they got to it, gesturing Simeon in ahead of her. She didn’t miss the way he was frowning a little at her words, and she hoped he would just. Let it be.

He didn’t, of course, because it was _Simeon_.

She closed the door behind him; he waited until she’d sat down- in one of the dining table chairs this time, rather than on her bed- and gestured for her to remove the ankle boot she wore. As he began to pull off his gloves, he told her, “He was worried about you, you know.”

Devi snorted. Her voice was flat when she spoke. “If he was _worried_ about me, he wouldn’t have spent the past two weeks refusing to stay in the same room as me for longer than five minutes- _if_ that.”

His frown deepened. He set his gloves aside and went to his knee before her, gently lifting her foot. Her ankle was no longer wrapped, the bruising completely gone at this point; he was careful with his touch regardless.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked as he began to examine her ankle. Devi scowled- not at him, but at the entire situation.

“Exactly what it sounds like. If I walk into a room, Lucifer walks out. He’s been avoiding dinner with us since he let me out of my room, and at breakfast, he eats and runs. He’s refused to talk to me other than to give me orders since last Monday, and even some of those he sent over chat rather than actually speak to me.”

The angel turned his gaze up to her, and his frown deepened. He sighed a moment later. “Let me finish this, and then we’ll talk.”

She nodded, more than ready to just have the entire business over and done with. He carefully tested her range of movement, checking with her to make sure she wasn’t in any pain, gently probed where her skin had been previously bruised, double checking everything. He hummed lightly before too long, releasing her foot and standing once more.

“You’ve healed remarkably fast,” he told her, giving her a light smile as he pulled his gloves back on. He pulled out the chair beside her, and when she nodded, he lowered himself into it.

“That’s Asmo’s influence, I believe. He insisted that I use a personalized blend of bath salts and oils every day; he put it together specifically to help my ankle heal.”

“That could certainly do it,” Simeon agreed. Then he paused, and the look on his face shifted to something a little more serious.

Why did she have a feeling that she wasn’t going to like whatever he was about to say?

“Lucifer,” he began, his voice a mix of gentle and careful, “has never been the best at expressing his feelings, not even back in the Celestial Realm.”

Devi resisted the urge to snort. “I could’ve told you that,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I’m not sure I’ve ever met _any_ one as emotionally constipated as he is- and I’ve known some _severely_ emotionally constipated people in my lifetime.”

“Even as an angel,” Simeon continued, brushing right over her commentary, “he was very prideful. Expressing his feelings through words was something he found difficult, and something that he _still_ finds difficult. More often, he chooses to show how he cares through his actions.”

“Hell of a way to show it,” she grumbled, just barely keeping the words from being a growl. “He’s been ignoring me for two weeks; how exactly does that say that he _cares_ about me.”

“You’ve seen how he expresses his feelings for his brothers, haven’t you?” The angel arched an eyebrow at her. “For example, it’s common knowledge that he is closest to Mammon…” He trailed off, giving her a significant look.

Okay. She got what he meant.

“Which he shows by regularly hanging him from the chandelier,” she admitted grudgingly. But… “There’s a difference here, though, Simeon. He may not know _how_ to properly show that he cares about Mammon, but he does _something_ to show it- even as screwed up as that something is. All he’s done to me recently is avoid and ignore me.”

Simeon sighed again, and he ran a gloved hand through his hair, seemingly searching for words. After a moment, he spoke again.

“Lucifer shows different emotions in different ways. By giving Mammon such attention, he shows that he cares. Similarly,” he paused, bright eyes shifting to her neck, “he has shown that he cares for you by gifting you the very collar you’re wearing.”

“He _showed_ his affection,” she corrected him, and she resisted the urge to reach up and curl her fingers around the golden peacock feather resting against her collarbone. Her voice was bitter when she continued, she knew, but she couldn’t quite suppress it. “Past tense. Giving me his collar while we were together, when we _were_ _together_ is one thing. If you really care for someone, you don’t throw your collar on them and then forget about them.”

“No,” he agreed, “you don’t. As much as it may seem so, however, Lucifer has _not_ forgotten about you.”

“He has a funny way of showing it,” she replied, and slid her eyes closed for a moment, trying to gather herself. Simeon was trying to tell her _something_ … but _what_ , exactly? “So what feeling is he showing me by ignoring me?”

“Fear,” Simeon said simply. Devi’s opened, and she stared at him.

“‘Fear,’” she echoed, and it wasn’t a question. She inhaled deeply. She told him, “Lucifer doesn’t _feel_ fear.”

“I assure you that he does.” He met her gaze evenly, his voice perfectly solemn. “Seeing you injured was a reminder of how fragile you are. Seeing you push yourself, as if you didn’t care about how fragile you are, terrified him.”

“I’m not fragile,” she growled immediately. The sigh Simeon released was soft.

“Perhaps not to you; perhaps not to other humans. You have to remember where you are, Devi. What everyone around you is.”

“I’ve never forgotten for one second,” she answered, and her voice was flat. “I know that they are demons. That everyone around me, save you, Luke, and Solomon, are demons.”

“Then you know that it is far easier to hurt you than it is to hurt Lucifer or his brothers.”

“That’s one of the reasons that I carry a knife on me at RAD,” she told him. “It’s why, even here at home, with all seven of them here, I keep a knife under my pillow. But while I may be physically weaker in comparison to demons, I _can_ defend myself.”

“Yet you were injured by Lucifer’s own brothers, in a simple prank gone wrong.” He pursed his lips, meeting her gaze steadily. “It’s not about your ability to defend yourself against other demons; it’s about the simple fact that you are much easier to harm even by accident.” He paused, and then continued. “It’s about the fact that, injured as you were, you didn’t _stop_ to consider that by pushing yourself, you might hurt yourself further.”

Something in her chest tightened. This time, it wasn’t painful in the way it had been every time Lucifer brushed by or ignored her, it was…

“Tell me something,” Simeon said, interrupting that thought. “What do you think Lucifer was trying to accomplish by restricting you as he did?”

“He wanted to isolate me,” she answered immediately, and the tight feeling in her chest was painful again. “He cut me off from the people I love, and tried to keep me cut off from them. He took away my freedom, and he told me that I was untrustworthy.”

“You _did_ break his trust,” the angel pointed out softly. She hated that he was right.

“That doesn’t mean that I deserved to be locked up and cut off from everyone.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He agreed with her again, but he looked almost… frustrated. Frowning, he cleared his throat. “Let me ask you this instead; what were the exact ‘orders’ that he gave you?”

Well. He _asked_. If he was uncomfortable with the answer, there wasn’t much she could do about it. She recited the list of rules Lucifer had given her without a pause, having run them through her head enough times by now.

“I was confined to my room for five days. The first night, I wasn’t allowed any company whatsoever; the others weren’t even allowed to message me. The following four days, Levi was ordered to watch me during online classes; Lucifer told me at first that I wasn’t allowed company after that, and he only changed his mind when I pushed. They weren’t allowed to stay with me for dinner, though, and neither were they allowed to stay the night with me.”

Simeon nodded. “And after that?”

“He confined me to the house. I wasn’t allowed to have sex.” Simeon flushed, his eyes shifting away for a moment, and she continued. “I was banned from the house gym, and from doing anything ‘physical.’ He _graciously_ allowed me to go to class, but not without one of his brothers with me at all times. I had to wear his collar until you decided that my ankle was healed.”

The angel nodded again. He took a moment to consider his words. Then he spoke. “Let me tell you how that sounds to me.”

He waited, meeting her eyes, until _she_ nodded.

“Lucifer confined you to bedrest for several days, during the time in which your injured ankle was most delicate. Afraid that, as rambunctious as his brothers are, they could possibly re-injure or further hurt your ankle with their carelessness, he forbade them from staying with you; particularly, he forbade them from sharing your bed, as they wouldn’t be able to be as careful with you while asleep.”

Simeon paused, still holding her in his gaze. Her chest tightened again. He continued after another moment.

“Once he was sure your ankle had been given time to begin healing, he gave you more freedom to move around; he knew that you would need to begin walking again, as it would help with the healing process at that point. While he knew you needed to move around to help your ankle heal, he was afraid that strenuous activity would stress it too far, so he forbade you from physical… _activities_ , regardless of the type. He wouldn’t be able to watch over you while at RAD, so he entrusted your care to his brothers, knowing that they would do whatever was needed to safeguard you. He had you wear your collar to remind other students at RAD that you are under his protection.”

Somehow… somehow his words made a twisted kind of sense. There was a sinking feeling in her chest, and her heart felt like it was caught in a vice. She hated it. Hated that she could see what he was saying.

“Allow me to ask you something else,” Simeon said. She wanted to say no. Instead, she nodded, mutely giving him permission. He asked, “have you tried to talk to him at all, since last Monday?”

“I tried to call him,” she told him stiffly, “that first night. He didn’t pick up, and he never called back.”

“Did you try again after that?” His voice was gentle. She hated that, too.

“I didn’t,” she answered. The look Simeon gave her was significant. Devi looked away, and added, “it wasn’t exactly as if I could talk to him either. He never came by my room, and once he allowed me out, he did everything he could to avoid me.”

The angel sighed softly. He asked, “Do you know what you have most in common with Lucifer?”

She wasn’t going to like the answer to that question was she? He didn’t give her the chance to answer.

“Pride,” he said gently. She closed her eyes. “You are both extremely prideful. You are also both extremely stubborn. Do you know what happens when two such people refuse to talk to each other?”

When she opened her eyes, he was watching her; his gaze found hers immediately. Softly, he told her,

“You need to talk to him.”

He was right. She hated it, but he was right. She hated the _fact_ that he was right. She exhaled forcefully, and accepted,

“I will.”

“I’m glad,” Simeon said, and gave her a small smile. He stood to his feet, and told her, “I’m going to let him know that your ankle is fully healed. He should call for you soon.”

“Thank you,” she managed, barely audible. The angel leaned over, placing a light kiss to the top of her head, and then stepped back, turning and heading out.


	6. How It Ended

* * *

Making Up is Hard to Do

* * *

“Enter.”

Lucifer’s voice was stiff as he called out. Perhaps almost as stiff as Devi felt as she stepped through the not-so-hidden door and into his study. The demon was standing before the fireplace, rather than at his desk as usual, poker in hand as he stirred the fire. She stopped just inside the door, and watched as he stepped back to return the poker to its golden stand.

She should take the first step, she thought. One of them needed to, and it wasn’t likely to be the avatar of pride himself. Her own pride kept her rooted where she stood. Lucifer turned to face her, remaining where he stood.

“Simeon has informed me that your ankle is fully healed,” he commented stiffly.

“So he told me,” she answered stiffly.

They stared at each other for a long moment, crimson and gold eyes locked.

Dammit, shit, fuck. Damn him, and damn both their pride.

“You didn’t answer my call,” she said. Lucifer’s eyes slid closed.

“I was in a meeting with Diavolo,” he told her, and his lips pursed into a thin line. He opened his eyes again and met her own once more. “You did not call again.”

“If you didn’t want to speak to me, I wasn’t going to beg and plead for your attention.”

The demon sighed. His arms crossed over his chest. There was a note of resignation in his voice when he spoke. “I have been informed that my pride has blinded me.”

The sound that left her lips was a jagged edged laugh. “That makes two of us,” she almost grumbled, her eyes sliding downward.

“I have also been informed,” Lucifer almost huffed, “that we are far too alike for our own good.”

Her laugh was less sharp this time, her lips twisting up into a thin, wry smile. “Too stubborn and too prideful both?” she asked. He let out a near grumbled laugh. A moment of silence fell, both of them reaching for words.

“We clearly need to work on our communication skills,” she said, and she sighed. She needed to push on before they came to an impasse again, no matter how much she didn’t want to. Her eyes slid closed as she gathered herself. It was easier that way, not looking at him. “I’m. Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She looked up; she could _see_ it in his expression. He wanted to deny it, just as much as she wanted to deny how much he’d hurt her with his seeming inattention. Lucifer inhaled slowly, and then let the air out, taking a metaphorical step of his own.

“I did not intend to make you feel as if I did not care for you.” His speech was so formal it almost hurt. It was the closest he was going to get to an apology, she thought. Then he continued. “I- do not say it enough; I care for you, Devi.” A pause. It was clear that he was forcing himself to meet her eyes. “I love you.”

The ache that had held her heart hostage for so long lessened.

“Remove this collar,” she said quietly, “and we can talk as equals.”

He nodded. His gloves were pulled from his hands, leaving them bare, and he stepped to his desk to lay them atop it. He dipped one hand to the pocket inside his waistcoat, and he withdrew the small golden key he kept there. She took the first physical step towards him, and he stepped forward as well. His footsteps echoed on the marble floor as he walked to her, the sound loud in the silence of his study. As he reached her, she reached back to gather her hair and lift it, allowing him access. She heard the quiet _click_ of the lock, and then he carefully pulled the collar from her neck. She inhaled deeply, letting herself just _feel_ the freedom of its absence.

Lucifer stepped away, returning to his desk to set the golden ring tenderly down atop it. He turned back to her, and she met his gaze steadily.

“I love you,” she said. “I don’t want to have this conversation here.”

“Where do you wish to go?”

She considered her options. Quietly, she told him, “your room.”

He would be more comfortable there. It would make this that much easier. Lucifer nodded shortly, and acquiesced,

“As you wish.”

Devi moved first, turning to head back out of his study and into the library. The walk to his bedroom was quiet, and they encountered none of his brothers. She stopped when they reached the door, and stepped back; he stepped forward to unlock it, and she followed him inside, closing and locking the door behind her. She turned to look at him, and there was a vulnerability to his expression that she’d never before seen; she reached to take his bare hand in her own and tugged him to the bed to sit. After a moment, she spoke first.

“I need you to promise me something Lucifer.” She locked gazes with him once more and waited for his answer.

“I cannot promise without knowing what you wish,” he said, and she nodded. She squeezed the hand in hers gently. When she spoke, her voice was quiet.

“Promise me that you will _never_ cut me off like you did these past two weeks. Not from my friends, not from your brothers, and especially not from _you_.”

“I promise,” he told her, with barely a pause. He continued, “If you will promise the same; do not cut yourself off from me, not ever. As I have been reminded, communication cannot be one sided.”

“I promise,” she echoed. For the first time since she’d opened her bedroom door to find Lucifer and Simeon waiting for her, the tight feeling in her chest faded. She blinked quickly as something stung at her eyes; his gaze softened. He brought his free hand up to cup her cheek, and his thumb brushed away the wetness gathering at her eye. She tried to turn away, but the hand on her cheek caught her, moving to her chin so he could tilt her head back and meet her eyes.

“We have both been fools, have we not?”

Devi laughed, the sound wry. “We have.” She breathed in. The room smelt of him. He smelt of leather, coffee, parchment. _Hells_ , she had missed him. Her smile was tenuous as she looked up at him. “We need to talk this out more- later. Right now, I want to hold you and I want to be held.”

Wordlessly, he gathered her in his arms, pulling her to him. She wrapped her arms around him in return, burying her face into his chest, inhaling deeply of him. After a moment, he shifted to move them both fully onto the bed; he laid down on his back, pulled her to his side. She pressed as close to him as she possibly could, sliding one arm beneath him, the other moving to grasp at his chest, fingers burying into the soft fabric of his waistcoat. She wrapped himself in his arms and in his scent, her eyes sliding closed as she felt whole again as she hadn’t since this had all begun.

Later. Later they would talk. Lay out boundaries, work out a way to prevent this from happening again. A way for both of them to circumvent their stubborn pride together. Later. For now, they were simply _together_ again.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, many thanks to my wife, [Gyhl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyhl), who is my beta and who gets to put up with me shoving stuff at them and praying that it's okay. XD Also, many thanks to m'darlin' [PhantomFox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomFox/pseuds/PhantomFox) for looking over this as well!
> 
> If you're curious what Devi looks like, I have a [character visual reference post](https://panickedpansexualprincess.tumblr.com/post/615583468262457344/a-visualization-post-for-my-mc-devi-from-obey-me) over on tumblr!
> 
> If you're on tumblr, you can find me at [PanickedPansexualPrincess](http://PanickedPansexualPrincess.tumblr.com).


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